A dramatic lifestyle change has melted 78 pounds off Tom Aylward’s 6-foot-4-inch frame and introduced him to healthy eating habits for the first time in his 62 years.
Alison Boggs
The Spokesman-Review
Aylward’s new lifestyle of training and monitoring his nutrition helped lift him from the depression that hit him 2 1/2 years ago when his wife died.
Alison Boggs
The Spokesman-Review
When Aylward first started training, he bought a wetsuit rated for up to 256 pounds. He was crushed to discover he couldn’t fit into it.
Alison Boggs
The Spokesman-Review
The Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene race is in 10 weeks and Tom Aylward hasn’t been able to run for a month. The 62-year-old, who has been training for the grueling race for nearly two years, has a nagging nerve irritation in his left foot. He got two cortisone shots last week to relieve the pain and plans to get another in a few weeks.
Alison Boggs
Personal trainers say the final three months before Ironman are the toughest. That’s when injuries crop up because athletes are increasing speed, distance and intensity. It’s also when self-doubt kicks in as the seeming enormity of the challenge sinks in.
Alison Boggs
Aylward continues to push his miles up on his bike, and on April 9, he completed his longest ride: 84 miles in 5 1/2 hours. “I’m going to give it everything I have,” he said. “I’m just going to lay it on the table that day. It’s all I’m thinking about.”
Alison Boggs
Stiff and sore and barely able to walk, Aylward acknowledged defeat with no regrets. By Monday morning, though his injured left foot was “killing” him, he was planning to begin training for next year’s half-Ironman in Boise.
Alison Boggs